


night terrors

by orphan_account



Series: the things we lost in the campbell woods [1]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, M/M, created by Bee, i love making my faves suffer, neil sweetie im so sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-20 01:50:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11910720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: there's no place like home.or:max lives in a severely abusive household, and as shitty as camp is, it's all he's got. he has the system beat into the ground.then he meets nikki and neil, and while the first summer may have gone well, four summers is pushing their luck. now they're 14, max's mom is pregnant, and everything's going to hell.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this isn't really a chapter but more like an author's note

i used major character death as a warning because this is gonna be a series like my descendants one. the plot runs on straight up angst. it's great.

\- Bee


	2. home (is whenever i'm with you)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> max finds out some big news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> max, neil, nikki, and the others are aged up four years. the events of the season two finale apply here.  
> (i apologize if this isn't my best work, it's my first time really writing about subject matter such as abusive families and i tried to be as respectful as possible.  
> also the tense might change a little, please point it out to me if the tenses are mixed up.)

“max.” his mother’s face is stone, but he can see that her eyes are red from crying. “i...have some news.”

max bites back the retort that’s on the tip of his tongue- _really? you’ve finally decided to drop my fucking loser of a dad?_

“i’m pregnant.”

the words don’t make sense to max at first- his mom? pregnant? with who’s baby? his dad is always too drunk, stoned, or angry.

but then again, his dad did try to go sober a couple months ago.

then the words hit max full on, and he stands up abruptly, letting his chair clatter to the floor. “are you _fucking_ kidding me?!” he snaps. his mother’s face crumbles. “go to your room, maxwell.”

“what the-”

“GO TO YOUR ROOM!” the woman shrieks as she collapses onto the table, shoulders already shaking. max takes two steps backward and trips over his chair, landing hard on his ass. he watches his mother for a long moment- a broken woman with nowhere else to go but her shitty household.

he had school and camp. she had nowhere.

max stood and ran to his room, trying not to think about the image now ingrained in his head.

\--

“hey, nikki.”

“heyyyyyy, max! ready for camp tomorrow?”

max groans as he rolls over on his bed. “am i ever ready to go back and put up with david’s bullshit? he’s almost thirty and still working at that fucking camp.”

nikki sighs overdramatically. “it’s kinda sad, huh?”

a loud crash sounds from over the phone, and max cringes. “what’s _that_?"

“apparently the marriage isn’t going so well. my mom married neil’s dad for his health insurance, not his, uh, questionable intelligence.” nikki replies. “my mom likes to throw fits.”

max laughs drily, trying to keep his voice level. “did you end up getting top bunk?”

nikki laughs. “i got my own _room_ , homeskillet. do you really think i could share a room with neil? his room is so cluttered i took a step into it once and i tripped.”

max lets out a low whistle. “same old neil, huh?”

nikki giggles quietly. “you bet. wanna talk to him?”

“if i did i would have called _him_ , nikki.” max points out. “what’re you doing, anyway? i can hear you moving.”

“packing for camp, duh.” she replies. “hey, do you know if nerris likes _indigo_ or _violet_ more? i noticed that there was some kind of formal event in the events listed this year and dresses are satan’s armpit, but i mean if _nerris_ -"

“woah woah woah, hold the fuck up.” max sputters. “you’re into _nerris_? mage-nerris-the-cute nerris? braces-and-glasses nerris?”

“okay, _first_ of all, she got her braces off.” nikki says, like it explains everything. “ _second_ ,of all, can you blame me? she’s always hanging out with harrison, and harrison goes to the same school as neil, and i’m a super lesbian.”

max shrugged. “can’t argue with that. i think she likes indigo more, and it goes better with your hair. violet and teal clash too much.”

“thank you, my bi babe!” nikki cooed from over the phone. there was another crash, then a fizzling sound, and then neil was heard swearing loudly in the background. nikki sighed. “i better go help him clean up. see ya tomorrow, max!”

“peace.” max muttered as she hung up the phone.

no hetero, but nikki always cheered him up, and _damn_ he loved her for that.

\--

when max gets on the bus, he thinks he's the only one there.

then a head covered in teal curls pops up over the seats.

“max! max, come sit with us!” nikki squeals. another voice pipes up from beside her- “jesus, nikki, relax.”

max rolls his eyes and starts making his way to the backseat. “where else am i gonna sit, loser?”

he glances down at nikki and neil, sitting in the three-person seat. nikki sits against the window, neil in the aisle seat. the middle seat is left open. _they know me way too well._

neil glances up and smiles at max, and to max's absolute horror, he literally feels heart skip a beat.

he isn't about to pretend that he _hasn't_ had a crush on neil since they were 11, but at times like these it's really difficult to hide it.

“ready for another summer of david and gwen?” neil asks as max slides into his seat. max snorts. “are any of us? ever?"

neil nods wisely. “the answer is a resounding no.”

nikki heaves a dramatic sigh. “guys, i’m third-wheeling here. max, i told you about our shitstorm of a family, how’s yours?”

the smile on max’s lips dies the instant the word ‘family’ passes through nikki’s.

nikki turns to look at him fully as an uncomfortable silence settles over the three. “max? are you-”

“my mom’s pregnant.”

the words leave his mouth before he can think about it, and then he _does_ think about it, and tears begin rushing to his eyes. “my mom’s pregnant and i think my dad is going to kill her before she can even give birth.” max chokes out as tears begin slipping down his face. he leans into nikki’s shoulder and moans quietly as the tears come faster.

“oh god, max.” he hears nikki whisper as she wraps her arms around him. he reaches behind him and grabs neil’s hand, pulling him into the pile. neil curls into max’s shoulder, wrapping his free arm around him. “i’m so sorry.”

the only response is max’s sniffling.


End file.
